Kansas City’s Cracked Window: The Long Road to the Royals’ First Title
This week’s episode of Sports Wax travels back to a time when Kansas City’s championship hopes seemed all but sealed shut — only to slowly, stubbornly creak open again. It’s the story of heartbreak, pine tar, blown calls, and finally, redemption.
It’s about George Brett, the franchise he carried, and the night the Royals became champions.
Listen now on:
From Expansion to Expectation
When the Kansas City Royals were born in 1969, they inherited a fan base left behind by the departing A’s — and they started about as slow as any expansion team could. But a single draft pick changed everything: a scrappy third baseman from California named George Brett.
By 1976, Brett had become the engine of a rising Royals team. That season, they won their first division title and faced the Yankees in the ALCS — a series that ended with Chris Chambliss crushing Kansas City’s dreams in Game 5.
What followed was nearly a decade of frustration:
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1977 — Yankees again.
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1978 — Yankees again.
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1979 — missed the playoffs.
- 1980 — finally, they broke through.
Brett hit .390. The Royals swept the Yankees. The city was electric. But the Phillies crushed the dream in the World Series.
Pine Tar, Pain, and One Last Shot
By the early ’80s, the Royals were aging, and the window looked closed. Brett’s 1983 “Pine Tar Game” meltdown became a symbol of years of bottled-up postseason frustration.
But in 1985, the pieces finally aligned.
A young pitching staff. A last gasp from the veterans. And another improbable postseason run.
Down 3–1 to the Blue Jays in the ALCS? The Royals came back.
Down 3–1 to the Cardinals in the World Series? The Royals did it again — this time with the help of Don Denkinger’s blown call at first base in Game 6, one of the most controversial umpire moments in baseball history.
Game 7 was chaos: ejections, meltdowns, and finally, Bret Saberhagen’s complete-game shutout.
The Royals were champions — for the first time ever.
Why This Episode Matters
This week’s episode is about the long road to glory — about how sometimes your title window slams shut, only to crack back open when you least expect it.
It’s for every Royals fan who still remembers the heartbreak of ’76, ’77, ’78, and ’80.
It’s for every baseball fan who knows what it feels like to wait … and wait … and finally see the payoff.
And it’s a reminder that sometimes, one bad call can rewrite history — but so can one perfect swing.
Take a listen to Kansas City’s Cracked Window — and relive the moment when the Royals proved that aging legends, second chances, and sheer belief can still build champions: